


No Holds Barred

by CeruleanShockwave



Series: Snippets from the Shinobi World [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Cute, F/F, Fighting, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hinata learns to love herself, No holds barred, Sakura and Hinata spar, Sakura vs Hinata, Sparring, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, sakuhina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 23:10:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18679201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanShockwave/pseuds/CeruleanShockwave
Summary: Sakura and Hinata have a friendly, no-holds-barred sparring match.





	No Holds Barred

Sakura smirked, pounding her fist into her open palm. 

“I’m not gonna go easy on you, Hina!” 

Her eyes sparked with the thrill of the fight, muscles flexing in readiness. Her feet shifted on the ground impatiently, waiting for Hinata to accept the challenge. The rush of sparring-associated adrenaline that she’d picked up from Sasuke and Naruto sang in her veins. 

Across from Sakura, Hinata’s pale eyes were set in a determined glare, so uncharacteristic of the usually timid girl. She spoke up clearly and firmly, “I won’t lose here, Saku-chan!” 

There was no trace of the stammer that used to colour her words every single time she spoke. Now her voice was steady and stable - just like the woman she’d grown to be. Neji couldn’t help the proud smile on his face. His cousin had become so strong and confident, a far cry from the nervous girl she’d been so long ago. It was in part her girlfriend’s influence - Sakura Haruno was a presence that you  _had_ to sit up and take notice of.

Sakura spread her legs a little further apart, the mild tension in her shoulders dissipating. Her feet found firm footholds in the ground, and her arms were held loosely in front of her, in a semblance of a stance. She looked deceptively relaxed, but her reactions would be faster and more fluid than anything. She was water, one who moved with the flow, a force to be reckoned with. 

Hinata’s stance shifted to something rigid and strong, just like the earth she stood on. Her hands flashed through the hand seals required to activate the Byakugan, and her pupils became prominent, veins bulging out on her temples. She was stone, unshakable, unbreakable.

Silence hung in the air. No one dared to speak; people barely breathed. The two powerful fighters in the arena commanded all attention - the graceful and unpredictable panther against the rock-solid and immovable mountain lion.

“Begin!” Tsunade shouted, breaking the thick and heavy quiet. She waved her flag.

And both girls flew at each other, fists raised above their heads.

Sakura struck first, taking Hinata by surprise despite her Byakugan. The powerful punch, infused with chakra just like Tsunade had taught her, sent the dark-haired woman flying. Hinata groaned quietly, but dusted herself off and stood up again, hands flashing through a certain set of hand seals. 

“ _Shugohakke: Rokujyuuyonshou!”_ she shouted, dashing at Sakura, who did her best to stay out of the range of Hinata’s light touches, tossing shuriken and kunai so Hinata had to duck and dodge as well.

“Two points!” shouted Hinata, shifting her weight forwards so she was closer to Sakura, the side of her palm brushing her hip ever so slightly. The pink-haired woman staggered back, her usually highly refined chakra control slipping due to the now-blocked points in her body. She placed her hand on the blocked areas and sent chakra to them, willing them to unblock. 

But Hinata didn’t waste a single second, abandoning her technique immediately in favour of delivering a few quick kicks and punches to Sakura’s gut. Sakura let out a small groan, but was back on her feet almost immediately, swinging a powerful fist at Hinata, whose foot came up to block Sakura’s hand. They moved fluidly, two entities combining to become one; and they tussled and fought, both their chakra slowly depleting. Hinata’s Byakugan made her able to evade all Sakura’s attacks, and Sakura’s healing abilities made her near-impervious to Hinata’s Gentle Fist. They weren’t even using jutsu or weapons at this point - it had become solely hand-to-hand. The women were evenly matched; Sakura’s brute strength and Hinata’s perfectly timed moves were neck-and-neck. 

Finally, completely exhausted, both collapsed forwards. Faces bruised and bloodied, Sakura’s arm nearly broken, Hinata limping after a particularly bad blow, they looked quite the sight. 

Sakura grabbed Hinata’s hand and raised it into the air even as they lay on the ground. A sign of mutual victory.

“Since neither participant is capable of fighting any longer,” announced Tsunade, a proud glint in her eye as she looked upon the two women, “this match results in a draw! Three cheers for Hinata Hyūga and Sakura Haruno, please!”

A roar went up from the audience, a loud shout of support and praise that echoed throughout the arena. It went on and on, never ceasing, an endless wave of pride for Konoha’s stunningly skilled kunoichis. Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Kiba and Shino were among the loudest. 

“That’s way more than three cheers,” Sakura mumbled, half-unconscious, a satisfied smile on her face. “We did it, Hina. We showed them that girls are just as amazing as boys.” She tightened her grip on her girlfriend’s hand, and Hinata squeezed back.

In the crowds, the ex-Hyūga heiress could just make out Hiashi smiling like the proud father he had no right to be. 

The familiar pang of happiness mixed with resentment never came.

Hinata smiled softly and let her eyes slip closed. 

Fighting no holds barred felt amazing - and this time, she hadn’t been doing it for recognition from anyone.

No, this time, she’d been doing it because she wanted to. Because she wanted a true test of her skills; because the battle sent thrills racing down her spine; because fighting someone as strong as Sakura was a challenge, and despite her gentle nature, Hinata thrived on challenges.

This time, she’d been fighting for herself.

**Author's Note:**

> come scream with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.ceruleanshockwave.tumblr.com)


End file.
